READ NOVEL ONLINE 69
Three days later, at the Yuseong Investment Securities Leaders Center.
Today was the day of the regular stock presentation meeting.
The employees of Team 3, including Dokyung, were waiting in the conference room with triumphant expressions, having arrived first.
“Oh, Team Leader Seo. Congratulations.”
As the conference room door opened and Team 1 members entered, the Team 1 leader smiled at Seo Jeonghwan as soon as he came in.
“Thank you.”
“No, I was surprised this time too. Who would have thought that such a quiet guy would suddenly make such a big move?”
The Team 1 leader spoke to Seo Jeonghwan as if sincerely congratulating him, and Seo Jeonghwan bowed his head.
“And, Yoon Dokyung-ssi.”
Dokyung, who had been sitting in a chair against the wall, stood up when the Team 1 leader called his name.
“Well done.”
It was a simple statement, but Dokyung could understand the underlying meaning of those words.
“Thank you!”
“It’s really a shame. It would have been better if you had come to our team.”
The Team 1 leader smiled as he looked at Seo Jeonghwan.
“You must be happy. In our line of work, seeing smart kids is the greatest blessing, isn’t it?”
“Yes, as you said, I’m enjoying it these days.”
“Can I believe that you’re really serious now?”
“I’ve always been serious. It’s just that other teams were better prepared.”
“Come on… I know you’re serious now. We prepared hard for this presentation too.”
Seo Jeonghwan slightly bowed his head at the Team 1 leader’s words.
“By the way, Team Leader Han used to always be here first, but I don’t see him at all. Team 2 as well.”
Just as the Team 1 leader was saying this, the conference room door opened and Center Director Ha Min-jae entered. Everyone stood up.
“Ah, please sit down. There are fewer people today.”
“Team 2 hasn’t arrived yet.”
“The meeting time is almost…”
Speak of the devil, as Ha Min-jae was saying this, the conference room door opened and Team 2 entered.
“Ah, sorry we’re late. We were dealing with a client…”
“It’s fine. The meeting hasn’t started yet, so please take your seats.”
At Ha Min-jae’s words, the Team 2 leader and his team members sat down, but the Team 2 leader seemed uncomfortable and didn’t even glance in Seo Jeonghwan’s direction.
“Well, now that everyone’s here. Let’s start the meeting. The results of the last presentation…”
Center Director Ha Min-jae looked at the documents and smiled as he turned to Seo Jeonghwan.
“E-On Works, prepared by Team 3, had the highest rate of return.”
As he said this, applause erupted in the conference room. Even the Team 2 leader, who had been watching the atmosphere, reluctantly clapped.
“Here’s the card.”
The reward for the presentation performance was given to Seo Jeonghwan.
A week ago, E-On Works had secured an export contract, shedding the label of zero overseas orders that had been following them.
However, despite this achievement, it hadn’t caught up with the return rate of K-Tech, which Team 2 had prepared.
“Thank you.”
“Is this the first time Team 3 is receiving it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Don’t spend too much. You’ll probably get it again next time anyway.”
Ha Min-jae indirectly expressed his expectations for the future, and Seo Jeonghwan nodded.
“And Yoon Dokyung-ssi.”
Dokyung stood up again at Ha Min-jae’s call.
“I was impressed by Yoon Dokyung-ssi’s presentation and kept an eye on E-On Works myself, so I’m pleased it resulted in good returns. Thank you.”
“Not at all. Thank you for viewing it favorably!”
Dokyung answered loudly and bowed his head.
“The presentation where you compared it with K-Tech at the end. Things turned out exactly as you said.”
There was a part in Dokyung’s prepared presentation that compared E-On Works and K-Tech.
‘K-Tech’s business structure is too vast.’
‘Considering that defense industry sales don’t even account for 30% of the company’s total sales, I thought there were many factors that could lead to undervaluation.’
And just as Dokyung had said, a few days ago, an incident occurred in K-Tech’s rail solution business, one of the businesses they operate.
The rail solution business mostly generates revenue from public institution bids, but K-Tech was found to have colluded with other companies and was designated as an ‘unfair operator’.
Unfair operators were designated when they violated the contents of the integrity pledge, restricting their participation in public project bids.
K-Tech was also restricted from participating in public project bids for six months, meaning they couldn’t participate in any government projects across all their business areas.
“Of course, K-Tech immediately filed an administrative lawsuit to cancel the disposition.”
They could participate in public project bids until the results of the administrative lawsuit came out, but the market’s reaction was cold, and K-Tech’s stock price plummeted rapidly.
Ninety percent of K-Tech’s annual revenue came from public institution projects.
The defense industry also proceeded through bids with public institutions, so the market wasn’t foolish enough to invest money in a company with an uncertain future.
“Anyway, E-On Works eliminated the risk factor that Yoon Dokyung-ssi pointed out, while it became a major weakness for K-Tech. With this result, Yoon Dokyung-ssi’s analysis has become perfect.”
Everyone nodded at Center Director Ha Min-jae’s words.
“It was an analytical ability worthy of praise. Good job.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then, now that the praise is over, shall we start the presentations on this week’s topic? This week’s topic is…”
Dokyung sat down with a sense of satisfaction and clenched his fist, looking at Han Dahyun trembling beside him.
The person presenting as Team 3’s representative this time was Han Dahyun.
Seemingly reassured by Dokyung’s encouragement, Han Dahyun smiled and calmly read through her prepared presentation material when her turn came.
“Good work, everyone. It seems like everyone gave interesting presentations this time too, so I’m looking forward to the next meeting.”
Center Director Ha Min-jae looked at Team 3 Leader Seo Jeonghwan as he concluded the meeting. He seemed satisfied with Team 3’s changed attitude towards presentations.
“Well then, let’s all work hard this week too.”
As Center Director Ha Min-jae finished the meeting and left, everyone stood up and started to leave the conference room.
“Dokyung-ssi, was I too nervous?”
“No, you did well. It was fine.”
As Dokyung and Han Dahyun were exchanging words and about to join their Team 3 seniors…
“Team Leader Han Seongwook.”
Team Leader Seo Jeonghwan called out to the Team 2 leader with a stern expression and voice, and the Team 2 leader sighed and turned around.
“It seems our meeting isn’t quite over yet.”
At Seo Jeonghwan’s words, everyone looked back and forth between the two with bewildered expressions, not understanding the meaning.
“I’m sorry.”
The Team 2 leader raised his hand with an indifferent expression and tone, apologizing to no one in particular.
“Hey! Han Seongwook!”
Seo Jeonghwan yelled angrily, seemingly upset by the Team 2 leader’s attitude.
“If you don’t want to lose your pathetic pride, do it properly.”
At Seo Jeonghwan’s words, which seemed to be throwing back the Team 2 leader’s own words, the corner of his mouth trembled.
After a brief moment, the Team 2 leader sighed and turned around properly.
“Yoon Dokyung-ssi.”
“Yes?”
Dokyung responded with a sour expression when the Team 2 leader called his name.
“I’m sorry for sneering at you that day at the restaurant. I shouldn’t have done that, being older and in a higher position. If it made you feel bad, I’m sorry.”
“I accept your apology.”
As Dokyung said this, everyone looked at him with even more surprised expressions. No one had expected him to accept the apology so confidently.
Dokyung couldn’t fully understand the situation unfolding before his eyes, but he thought he at least deserved to accept the Team 2 leader’s apology.
After Dokyung accepted the apology, the Team 2 leader raised his hand to bow once more and then left the conference room. Team 3 Leader Seo Jeonghwan looked at Dokyung.
“Well done. Since everyone needs to leave early for dinner, let’s have our team dinner at lunchtime.”
Seo Jeonghwan said this as he held up the card the Center Director had given him, and all the team members cheered.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
“Ugh, did I eat something too greasy?”
After finishing the team lunch, Dokyung was making a cold coffee in the break room, feeling queasy.
“Can I ask for a cup too?”
At that moment, Dokyung turned his head at the sound of a voice, and Team Leader Seo Jeonghwan was entering. He was also rubbing his solar plexus area like Dokyung, which made Dokyung chuckle.
“Would you like it cold?”
“Yes.”
At Seo Jeonghwan’s words, Dokyung approached him with two cups of iced coffee and sat down.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I was making one for myself anyway…”
“Not just for the coffee.”
After drinking the coffee Dokyung handed him, Seo Jeonghwan looked at an empty space and spoke.
“I diligently did what the company told me to do. More than anyone else.”
Dokyung focused quietly on Seo Jeonghwan’s words.
Although it was an abrupt statement, Dokyung could understand what the team leader was trying to say.
“I thought that was the right thing to do back then. Because I was receiving a salary from the company.”
“……”
“But that was wrong. Of course, I wanted to make excuses that I had worked hard as the company instructed. But when I thought about it, it was my fault.”
Seo Jeonghwan spoke calmly.
“I should have been more cunning. I shouldn’t have done everything the company told me to do, but been more flexible…”
The price of quietly and diligently doing what the company instructed resulted in a devastating outcome.
The company, which seemed like it would take responsibility for everything more than anyone else, tried to shift responsibility to someone else instead of taking responsibility themselves when it mattered.
And if that target had been himself, he would have at least cursed a lot…
“When I heard that others took responsibility instead of me, honestly, I thought it was fortunate. Because I could stay in the company.”
“……”
“What could I do? The only thing I’ve done since I entered society was this, and the only thing I can do is this. If I leave here, no place would accept someone who left after causing trouble. I just endured it, no matter who cursed me behind my back.”
For some, two years might be a short time, but for others, that short time was a harsh period.
“I worked as the company instructed, just like before. The only difference was that I became a little less passionate, and I put up defenses when doing anything.”
Saying this, Seo Jeonghwan turned his head to look at Dokyung, and the newbie sitting in front of him was listening intently to his words.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m telling you this?”
“Not at all.”
“I’m just grateful. Just as my mind and senses were about to become rigid, Yoon Dokyung-ssi and Han Dahyun-ssi came in. How should I put it? It was a fresh shock.”
“……”
“At first, I wanted to tell you to do things halfheartedly. I thought it would be painful to see someone become like me.”
Dokyung recalled Seo Jeonghwan telling him there was no need to work hard.
“But, Dokyung-ssi, you continually showed that the freshness you first gave me wasn’t a coincidence. It’s as if something buried in a corner of my heart has come back to life.”
Seo Jeonghwan smiled as he looked at Dokyung.
“I don’t know how long this feeling will last, but for now, I’m trying to do things as my heart dictates again. Though it might be too late.”
“It might sound presumptuous, but I believe you’ll do well, Team Leader. Even when everyone said it was too late, if you don’t give up, good things happen. I’m proof of that.”
Some might say he was speaking carelessly, but Dokyung thought he had the right to say this.
Although he had felt frustrated, he had never given up. He had persevered to the end and was now standing here, in front of Seo Jeonghwan.
Seo Jeonghwan chuckled at Dokyung’s words.
“Thank you. For many things.”
Saying this, Seo Jeonghwan stood up and left the conference room, and Dokyung smiled as he watched him leave.
There was no greater reward than knowing that diligently doing the given work had become an inspiration to someone.
Dokyung cleaned up the break room, filled with a sense of satisfaction.
Buzz-
Looking at the phone screen he checked at the vibrating sound, Dokyung smiled once again.
He thought he had already received a great reward, but there was another reward waiting.